Ambient Air Conditioning, Leeds, Stockton, Sheffield - Air Conditioning – R22
R22 Refrigerant Phase out
From 1 January 2010 Virgin R22 Refrigerants will be banned.
Fluorinated refrigerants used in air conditioning and refrigeration plant contribute to ozone depletion and the greenhouse effect. European and UK legislation has been created to control and, in some cases, completely ban their use.
R22 is the most common refrigerant gas and is currently used in over 60% of air conditioning units in the UK.
From December 2009 the use of virgin R22 refrigerant will be banned and all stocks destroyed.
Virgin HCFCs will no longer be available, or ‘new’ mineral refrigerant such as the commonly used R22 will no longer be on the market for sale, leaving only ‘reclaimed’ refrigerant available for re-sale from registered dealers.
Concerns regarding Reclaimed R22 Refrigerant
Reclaimed R22 refrigerant also carries the risk of contamination from wherever it has been reclaimed from. Oil or moisture contamination could have a detrimental effect on any plant or equipment it is introduced to. Whilst ‘reclaimed’ gas is ‘cleaned’, prior to resale, its quality cannot be guarantee, nor can the removal of all contaminant.
In essence, from 2010 we will quickly see the demise in availability of refrigerant such as R22, inevitably causing prices to accelerate. This will have the knock-on effect of increasing the cost of maintaining existing equipment using HCFCs, up until 2015, when they will be banned entirely and any equipment using them rendered redundant.
1 January 2015 – all R22 Refrigerants will be banned
Come 2015, once the ban on R22s is in place, it is important to be aware that the end user will be the liable party in terms of its responsibility for its plant and equipment. The end user has a legal duty to ensure the safe removal and disposal of HCFCs such as R22, from any of its plant or equipment.
What are the risks of non-compliance regarding R22 Refrigerant?
- Loss of insurance cover
- Health and safety litigation
- Environmental litigation
- Business interruption
- Loss of operationally critical units
